There are many aspects of this piece that are very well done. The design is strong, the color harmony is very effective, and the painting technique is good. There is always a danger of breaking up form when light shapes are isolated. My suggestion is to link the light on the nose with the light over the cheekbone. When these lights are linked, they create a very interesting light shape that visually connects with the light on the beard. Also, if the cheek in shadow is darkened slightly, it links with the other dark shapes and emphasizes the impact of the light on the nose and beard.

About the CriticDawn Whitelaw has studied painting with Scott Christensen, Cedric Egeli, Jim Pollard, and Everett Raymond Kinstler. In 2002 she received the Award of Excellence and Best of Show in an international competition sponsored by the Portrait Society of America, and she has exhibited her portrait, landscape, and still life paintings in juried shows organized by the Cumberland Society of Painters, the American Academy of Women Artists, and the Phoenix Historical Museum.

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